It’s been a busy few weeks getting this edition of ReSource off to print, and there are some really great interviews and articles which I’ve really enjoyed preparing.
I also relished designing the fresh summer cover -
ReSource Edition 17
‘Generation Y’ has featured strongly, it wasn’t an intentional thing, simply that it was topical amongst the people I was speaking to.
Generalisation about any group is not ideal, and can be dangerous, and we acknowlede that there are always exceptions, yet Don Tapscott, Marshall Goldsmith, Kate Sweetman and Marcus Buckingham are all talking about the differences between this group of 16 - 31 year olds and the ‘boomers’ - the message is that they are flexible, value-driven and aren’t impressed by materialism in the way previous generations have been - they won’t compromise their ideals.
Kate Sweetman talks about the fact that Gen Y ’s values, needs and wants are very similar to those that women have traditionally upheld -
“I predict that companies that can solve the C-level gender gap will also win the Talent war for the best and the brightest in Gen Y. What women have always wanted and what Gen Y demands are virtually the same things.”
Don Tapscott advocates listening to young people and acting on their input. He says of the Net Generation:
“they are the first ever global generation, and they are defined by these eight norms. If you are designing a company, a brand, a marketing programme, or a government, it doesn’t matter what it is, these eight norms need to be at the centre of it.”
Marcus Buckingham (in London next week - check out his June 10 event here - ReSource will be there as a media partner) noted:
“All the research that I have seen shows that Gen Y is a ‘volunteerist’ generation, and an optimistic generation, but they are clueless about what it takes to perform”
Marshall Goldmsith has some great advice:
“For young people, my advice is that the world you are growing up in is a much more competitive world than the world I grew up in. Make sure you love what you do, or you are going to be living in what I call ‘New Age Professional Hell’“.
These are just a selection from the host of valuable, great articles covering a range of topics from business leadership and personal success to spirituality and well-being - check out www.resourcemagazine.co.uk and subscribe so you don’t miss out on a truly great ReSource!
The recent post about ‘the robin who thinks he’s a humming bird’ talks about the rate of evolution speeding up, and the need to be highly adaptable in a fast paced world.
In conversation last week with a friend about personal growth and development, he mentioned that he prefers the word ‘evolution’ to that of ‘change’. His rationale is that ‘change’ creates fear in people. As creatures of habit, most people prefer things to stay the same and worry that change must mean something uncomfortable. It prompted me to think about the terms we use and to ask if change and evolution is the same thing, and when and where the words are best applied.
There are some things that definitely require to be changed not evolved. For example, I definitely change my light bulbs, they do not evolve. (The type of bulbs I use may have evolved over the years, from tungsten to energy saving, but the act of replacing them when spent is a definite change). Neither do I evolve my bed linen, my vacuum cleaner bags nor the filters in my water jug. These, though are all inanimate objects. And people are, of course, different….
The way I perform these tasks may well have changed over time - or even evolved - so perhaps the differentiation comes from here. Behaviours, skills, strategies, beliefs, opinions, systems can evolve. The human body can evolve - with better nutrition in the developed world, we’re now much taller, and with the advent of the contraceptive pill, women’s body shapes have changed - or evolved. To say nothing of the way the human brain has evolved over thousand of years into its current tripartite embodiment. Human thinking can also evolve, we can learn to use our inner resources more effectively, we gain by education, and our way of life has changed dramatically since the beginning of life on earth - discoveries, experiments and inventions have brought radical changes and alterations to how we conduct the daily business of living as human beings on our planet.
Now, if we are encouraging people to change - can we more easily ask them to evolve, or does evolution take place naturally, almost unconsciously, in response to outside conditions but with no deliberate intervention?
Is transformation perhaps the more encouraging word to use? Transformation has a certain magic about it, a positive sense of something happening which offers a better, happier outcome. Or is that simply my interpretation? Does transformation contain an inbuilt element of wisdom and improvement, which change does not? There can be subtle changes, but somehow a subtle transformation does not sit well, meaning-wise, for me. Change can be for better or worse, but in my neurology, transformation is equated with betterment.
For example, I would say ‘the witch changed the prince into a frog’ - and ‘the fairy godmother transformed the pumpkin into a splendid carriage’. Then, I suppose, if the prince wanted to become a frog for some reason, he’d consider it an improvement….And now the ‘Shrek’ movie comes to mind when the princess chooses life as an ogre because of her love for Shrek.
Now I’m onto Pygmalion, whose dedicated thought and intention transformed a marble statue into a living woman for him to love…..maybe he changed his thoughts, evolved his way of being… and thus transformed and even transmuted a substance which then transformed his life….a process to realise and manifest what he wanted most?
I could get really deep into the linguistics here - so many nuances and shades of meaning, but I will stop for now.
Change, evolve, transform - all have their place, and it’s fascinating to continue exploring their meaning in our lives.
teenage expression
“When I was 18 my father was completely ignorant, but by the time I was 25,
it was amazing how much he’d learnt.”
Too True!
BONUS TIP 6:
Laugh. Find some common ground in humour, satire, irony - maybe through a TV programme or film. It may make you throw your hands up in horror, but ‘The Simpsons’ has some prize moments of sheer comic dis-functionality in which most of us can see a little something of ourselves, if we’re really honest. After all it’s been around for 20 years and now has its own stamp collection…..
happy, confident teens
But dads (and mums) be warned - telling bad ‘dad jokes‘ (and it seems that all dad jokes are bad jokes, even if they’re good…..) creates embarrassed looks, groans of ‘Ohhh Daaad’, rolling eyes and shrugged shoulders - you have to decide if you want to experience that. On the other hand, if you don’t do generic ‘dad jokes’, maybe your teen will miss out on being able to share horror stories with their mates…..And sharing the experience is part of growing up.
As parents, that’s what we’re there for - silent witness, loud supporter, soft shoulder or sharp wit - you’ll need all of that and more along the way. Is it worth it? Completely - it’s one of life’s richest treasures.
For more resources and articles on personal growth and development, leadership, education, creativity and change visit www.resourcemagazine.co.uk
